*If fresh morels are unavailable, fresh chanterelles make a good substitute. Alternatively use 1 1/2 ounces dried morels. Soak in 1 cup warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Lift from soaking liquid, then rinse well and pat dry.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Pat halibut dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat, heat vegetable oil until hot but not smoking. Add fish, skin side up, milk, cream, and wine. Bring to light simmer, cover, and place in oven until just cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove halibut from liquid, cover, and keep warm. Reserve poaching liquid.

While halibut is in the oven, cook asparagus in 8-quart pot boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon or tongs, remove asparagus from water and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss gently to coat. Cover and keep warm.

In heavy 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add morels and sauté 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and add sherry vinegar and thyme, stirring to scrape up any morels that might stick to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 tablespoon pepper.

Place poaching liquid over high heat and simmer until reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Divide asparagus between 8 plates. Peel skin off halibut and place 1 filet on top of asparagus on each plate. Divide morels among plates. Spoon sauce over fish and serve immediately.

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Reviews

Glad to see that everyone else found the vinegar overpowering. I only added about a tablespoon and even then it was too much. What's the point? Maybe something softer like champagne or white balsamic. Next time I would also add shallots. Unfortunately, I am not blessed with a backyard of morels so I used chanterelles. Quite nice.

I found an abundance of morels in my
yard this year (yay!!) and was
looking for a great way to use
them. The fish in this recipe was
incredibly expensive, so I used just
four filets, and they were indeed
small, but what a treat... I agree
that the vinegar should be added to
taste, using champagne vinegar as it
was what I had on hand. I also
sauteed up a fair amount of minced
shallot with the morels (love that
combo), which I think added great
flavor. I grilled the asparagus as
other reviewers had suggested. My
chief complaint was that the sauce
curdled when I added the wine. I
should have expected this, but did
not. It didn't affect the flavor,
but I wasn't fond of the
consistency. However, the fish was
so delicious, and like silk on the
tongue; the morels were the most
delicious I've ever had. Great
recipe.

Outstanding! This was SO good and a perfect spring meal made with morels I found growing in the garden. My 5 year old loved it too. I did modify it a little...didn't have fresh thyme so I omitted it. I didn't have a ton of morels, so I also made up some carmelized/crispy brown onions which extended that great morel flavor. I also roasted the asparagus instead of boiling because I love the flavor the roasting brings out. I had trouble getting the filets out of the milk bath because they are somewhat thin; I used tongs which was a mistake. But either way it turned out great, even if that issue affected the presentation a bit. YUM!

I think this is a great recipe but the sherry vinegar overpowers the morel mushrooms (I love morels). Next time I will use a lot less vinegar so it adds a hint of flavor. I would recommend adding the vinegar to taste.

Outstanding recipe. I used Haddock as
halibut is prohibitively expensive,
morels from the woods nearby and fresh
roasted asparagus. Pretty presentation
and the tangy morels with the cream
sauce were yummy. Be sure and remove
the skin before adding the sauce. This
is a winner.

Wow! Very simple,
yet delicious. It
isn't asparagus
season yet so I used
frozen asparagus.
Fresh Halibut and
Chanterelles were
obtained at Deluxe
foods in Aptos, ca.
The fish was
perfect. Next time I
will add half of the
sherry vinegar and
thyme to the
Chanterelles.

This dish was excellent. My only substitution was to use chanterelles. The cooking method causes the halibut to soak up a lot of sauce flavor, which is great because halibut can be a little bland often. The sauce is also surprisingly delicious. It's rich, but not in a cloying way. Some of the fish juice sort of permeates it and lightens it up. 4 oz. is kind of small for a main dish, though.